Potential speaker gets 8th District shot

INDIANAPOLIS - As a last-second game of Democratic musical chairs played out Friday morning, state Rep. Trent Van Haaften of Mount Vernon landed in a race for the 8th District seat in the U.S. House.

The shuffle began after U.S. Rep. Brad Ellsworth said he'd try to become the Democratic replacement candidate for the Senate seat being vacated by the retiring Evan Bayh.

Southwestern Indiana Democrats turned to Van Haaften, a close Ellsworth friend who in three Indiana House terms has become the House Public Policy Committee chairman.

He agreed to give up a path that could have led to the speaker's chair — one that seemed more likely after he recently was promoted to deputy speaker pro tempore, a position in which he conducts the business of the House when Speaker Patrick Bauer is off the floor.

"I believe I would have continued the path to leadership. So that made it difficult," he said of the decision Friday. "I think I'm the person to serve the 8th District of Indiana to make this state and this country a better place by not talking at people, but by working with people."

When Van Haaften agreed to run for Congress, the scramble was only beginning.

First, there's the Indiana House.

Two area seats — District 75, held by retiring Rep. Dennis Avery, D-Evansville, and District 76, which is Van Haaften's district — were suddenly without a Democratic candidate.

State Sen. Bob Deig, D-Mount Vernon, agreed to try for a move across the hallway. He filed to run for Van Haaften's House seat instead of seeking re-election to his Senate seat.

Vanderburgh County Councilman Mike Goebel filed for Avery's seat, although he didn't make his decision until Friday morning.

The movement left Democrats without a candidate for Deig's District 49 seat in the state Senate.

Two candidates decided to run for that seat: Patty Avery, who is the community outreach organizer at Old National Bank and Avery's wife, and B.J. Watts, the president of the Evansville City Council.

"My passion is serving the community, and the opportunity to serve it in a new way was very attractive," Patty Avery said.

While Watts said several members of the party encouraged him to run, he said he needed to decide whether pursuing a position that would have him in Indianapolis for at least three or four months a year was right for his family and the district.

"I enjoy what I'm doing. I love serving on the City Council and love representing the West Side," he said. "I'll need to sit down with my sons and my wife and talk this through."

Deig said all the movement occurred at the last minute.

He said Van Haaften called him Thursday night and asked if he was interested in making the move.

"When you're told at nighttime and you try to think about it overnight if the opportunity arises, it's very tough," Deig said Thursday at the Statehouse.